


true love's kiss

by elysianprince



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Angst with a Happy Ending, CT-6116 | Kix Needs a Break, Guilt, Love Confessions, M/M, Sleeping Beauty Elements, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27306208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elysianprince/pseuds/elysianprince
Summary: Anakin couldn’t wrap his mind around how to save his master. How in sith’s hells were they supposed to wake up the very image of a perfect Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, witha true love’s kiss?Jedi couldn’t— It was against the Code.But hecouldn’tstay like this forever. The galaxy needed Obi-Wan. AnakinneededObi-Wan.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 22
Kudos: 226





	true love's kiss

**Author's Note:**

> A couple days ago someone in the obikin server shared [zuubaka’s lovely fanart,](https://zuubaka.tumblr.com/post/630540455445135360/sleeping-beauty-obikin) and I was hit with inspiration for this fic. It’s been a nice little refresher while I’m working on the next part of my chaptered fic.
> 
> Happy Halloween even though this has nothing to do with halloween? Here’s a treat for you. Please enjoy!

It all happened in an instant.

One moment, Anakin was facing down against insurgents backed by Separatist battle droids on some planet he’d already forgotten the name of. 

Lately, it seemed like every other week they were being shipped off to some other backwater hole suddenly needing Republic protection from the Separatist army. The skirmishes were small and seemingly insignificant, almost too easy sometimes, but the toll added up quickly regardless. The constant pace, the constant onslaught, had worn them all down.

Exhaustion led to distractions, and distractions were a death sentence on the battlefield.

Anything could happen out there... Though, somehow, Anakin had reached a point where it felt as though that didn’t apply to them. They were The Team.

They were unstoppable.

The insurgents had stolen some sort of ancient relic believed to be cursed, and the local leaders were certain it was going to be used to power some sort of new weapon. Or something. If Anakin was being completely honest, he hadn’t been listening. 

Oh, he’d _tried._ But between the battle fatigue and the nightmares that haunted Anakin’s nearly every attempt to rest, it made it nearly impossible to remain attentive as the leader droned on about the relic and its powers. That kind of thing was much more Obi-Wan’s forte, anyway. If Anakin missed anything terribly important, his old master would surely bring him up to speed later, or Anakin could just look over the mission briefing again.

The next moment…

The next…

He had let himself get distracted.

Anakin had turned to Obi-Wan after neatly clearing through a batch of droids. In battle, his former master was poetry in motion, his movements fluid, yet precise. After dispatching another handful of droids in just a couple swift strikes, Obi-Wan caught Anakin’s eyes and smiled brilliantly, his presence burning brightly in the Force. Anakin was a moth drawn to the flames.

Distractions could cost everything on the battlefield.

In that instant, Anakin saw that smile fall to horror. He saw Obi-Wan’s mouth twist around his name as he yelled and shoved Anakin out of the way, leaving himself completely open to the strange blast that hit him squarely in the chest, sending Obi-Wan tumbling to the ground.

Everything stilled, a deafening silence filled Anakin’s mind at the sight of Obi-Wan unmoving in the middle of the battlefield. 

The Force roared in Anakin’s ears as he was overcome with emotions. The remaining droids dropped to the ground, crumpled and mangled. He couldn’t remember what happened after that. He didn’t think the battle lasted much longer.

Anakin was at Obi-Wan’s side in an instant, pulling his master into his arms, begging him to be alright. He felt Obi-Wan slipping away, his flickering presence a ghost of what it was before.

That was the last time Anakin saw Obi-Wan’s clear blue eyes before they fell closed.

He couldn’t remember who finally pried Obi-Wan from his arms. It was probably Kix, hurriedly attending to the fallen general. He was still breathing. Obi-Wan was still breathing. Anakin kept reminding himself of that as the troopers whisked him away to the medbay on the _Negotiator._

Kix was unable to find any life-threatening injuries. All of Obi-Wan’s vitals were normal, it was as if he was just… asleep. The medics were immediately transferring Obi-Wan to the Halls of Healing. _Surely Master Che will be able to save him,_ Anakin hoped.

With the Separatist-backed insurrection crushed, Anakin accompanied the transport taking his master back to the Temple. Though at that point, nothing could have convinced Anakin to leave Obi-Wan’s side.

Anakin poured over the briefing for the planet again and again. The words on the datapad searing into his mind at that point. The myth of the relic… The curse placed the afflicted into a deep, deep sleep. One that could only be awoken by a true love’s kiss. 

What a load of bantha shit.

The young knight couldn’t wrap his mind around how to save his master. How in sith’s hells were they supposed to wake up the very image of a perfect Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, with _a true love’s kiss?_ Jedi couldn’t— It was against the Code. 

But he _couldn’t_ stay like this forever. The galaxy needed Obi-Wan. Anakin _needed_ Obi-Wan.

All felt hopeless. 

And it was all Anakin’s fault. He allowed himself to be distracted, and Obi-Wan paid the price for his failure. Guilt weighed heavily on Anakin as he stayed by his former master’s side, at a complete loss as he suddenly found himself without his guiding light.

As the rotations passed, Obi-Wan showed no signs of waking from his deep sleep. The steady rise and fall of his chest was the only sign Anakin’s master was alive. Obi-Wan looked too peaceful. His arms folded neatly across his chest in a way that made Anakin want to reposition them, make his master look more alive, not like a corpse prepared for burial.

One time, Anakin gently took Obi-Wan’s unmoving hand in his, running his fingers over the callouses, the badges of a life hard fought for. A life Anakin’s carelessness had taken. The stillness, the lack of warmth, brought Anakin to tears. After that, he couldn’t bring himself to hold Obi-Wan’s hand again.

Needing to fill the silence with something more than the steady beeps from the medbay monitors, Anakin talked to Obi-Wan about anything and everything. He told stories, adventures from his padawan days that he thought he’d managed to keep a secret from his master until then, hoping desperately that the sound of his voice would guide Obi-Wan back to him.

Anakin even confessed about his past affair with Padmé, attempting to ignite his master’s ire enough to wake him. He hoped that Obi-Wan’s eyes would suddenly spring open and he’d start chastising Anakin for his past decisions, reminding Anakin of his oath to the Code.

The Code that Anakin sure as hell didn’t follow when it came to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Anakin’s back ached from the countless hours he spent in the damn chair next to Obi-Wan’s medbay bed. Occasionally, when his exhaustion grew too much to keep his eyes fixated on his master any longer, Anakin would doze off with his head pillowed on his arms resting on the side of the bed, as close to Obi-Wan as he dared allow himself to be.

Whenever Anakin awoke from his naps, the guilt was immeasurable.

Even less occasionally, Ahsoka managed to shove Anakin out of the room, threatening to have the troops physically remove him if he didn’t leave to shower. Always, she steadfastly vowed to let Anakin know the second there were any changes.

They were still a day, maybe two out from reaching Coruscant, and Anakin’s anguish had grown irrepressible. Desperation clawed at every fiber of his being. He wanted to see the twinkle of Obi-Wan’s eyes again. He wanted to hear the lilt of Obi-Wan’s voice when he made a sarcastic remark about something reckless Anakin did.

He wanted Obi-Wan back.

There was only one thing Anakin hadn’t tried yet.

The one thing he was absolutely terrified of.

Anakin gently cradled Obi-Wan’s face with his hands, caressing his left cheek with his thumb. Slowly, he leaned down and pressed the softest of kisses to Obi-Wan’s lips. They were dry, yet pliant. For some reason, a part of Anakin had feared it would feel like kissing stone. He only allowed himself to linger for a moment before drawing away.

As Anakin pulled away, he vigilantly watched Obi-Wan’s features for any sign of stirring.

Obi-Wan remained still.

“...Obi-Wan?” Anakin choked out as he delicately pet his soft, copper hair. Anakin’s face contorted painfully in grief, and he burst into tears, burying his face in Obi-Wan’s chest as he sobbed into the stark white sheets that covered him.

It was the first and last time Anakin would ever get to touch Obi-Wan in that way.

Of course Anakin’s love wasn’t enough. 

It was never enough to save them.

He was unable to hear the rustle of sheets above his own sobs.

*

***

*

There was a weight on his chest, and Obi-Wan could vaguely make out the sound of racking sobs. His eyes felt crusty, and he struggled to blink them open, vision swimming until he was able to focus on the blurry shape buried against his chest.

 _Anakin._ Oh thank the Force, he seemed to be alright.

Obi-Wan’s throat was dry and raspy from disuse, but he managed to force out a soft, “...Anakin?”

His former padawan’s head shot up from where his face had been smothered in the sheets laying over Obi-Wan. Anakin’s eyes were red and puffy, his face streaked with rivers of tears. “Obi-Wan?”

Slowly, Obi-Wan reached up to wipe away a tear from Anakin’s face, almost worried the young man would spook like a wild animal. “Why are you crying, dear one?”

He watched as Anakin’s expression crumpled into sobs again, and Obi-Wan was a bit slow to react, still dazed from waking and at a total loss for what was going on.

“Anakin, are you alright? What’s happened?” Obi-Wan asked, his voice clearer now.

Laughter broke through Anakin’s sobs, and he haphazardly wiped at his face with the sleeves of his robes. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Care to fill me in?”

“Oh, you just nearly died again, sacrificing yourself for someone else. Same as usual,” Anakin drawled, though his face brightened with a timid smile.

“I seem to recall that,” Obi-Wan commented wryly. “There’s something else, I can’t quite place it…” There were flashes of images in his mind, cloudy and unclear, like a glitched holovid. Obi-Wan had difficulty recalling them precisely… He remembered Anakin was there, remembered that Anakin… Anakin kissed him.

Oh.

Anakin _kissed_ him.

“...did you kiss me?” Obi-Wan asked, cautious hope creeping into his heart.

In an instant, Anakin’s face turned beet red and he put more distance between them. His words rushed out as he began profusely apologizing, “I’m terribly sorry, Master. It won’t happen again. You just— You weren’t waking up and I was willing to try anything- _anything at all._ And I—”

Obi-Wan reached for Anakin’s hand and interrupted him before the young man could turn and bolt from the room. “What if I want it to happen again?”

“I— what?” Anakin stopped, head tilted and brow furrowed adorably in confusion.

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan gazed deeply into Anakin’s breathtakingly blue eyes before repeating. “What if I want it to happen again?”

Nerves filled Obi-Wan as he waited for Anakin to respond, worried that he overstepped the boundary between them. But he had read the briefing, he knew about the cursed relic. If Anakin kissed him… Well, Obi-Wan understood what that meant, what it could mean for _them,_ so long as Anakin wanted it too.

“Do you mean that?” Anakin asked hesitantly.

“Every word.” Obi-Wan emphasized this by lowering his shields, pouring as much love and reassurance into his bond with Anakin as he could muster, revealing the depth of his feelings that had been concealed for so long.

Anakin surged forward to claim his mouth again, all enthusiasm and little finesse, and Obi-Wan welcomed it, threading his fingers through Anakin’s golden curls to coax him into a better angle. The Force blossomed around them, shining in bright starbursts, practically _singing_ with elation, and somehow, Anakin shone more brilliantly than ever before. His beloved’s presence warmed every inch of Obi-Wan’s soul as their signatures bled together, and Obi-Wan couldn’t get enough of it.

With none of his usual grace, Anakin clambered onto the bed to settle onto Obi-Wan’s lap, and just as their lips met again, one of the nearby monitors emitted a shrill beeping in alarm. They pulled apart, and Anakin rested his forehead against Obi-Wan’s as the older man cursed and clumsily searched for the heart lead on his chest.

Once he found it, he ripped it off and tossed it aside. “To hell with that.”

Of course, that triggered an even worse alarm from the monitor, and it began flashing as well.

“Actually, that may have been a bad idea,” Anakin outright _giggled_ at him, so full of giddiness, and oh, Obi-Wan was so gone for this man. He pulled Anakin closer and kissed him again, alarms be damned.

Then came the _whoosh_ of the door opening and the pounding of armored boots on the floor, and Obi-Wan didn’t even have to look to see who had entered the room.

“At ease. I’m fine now, Kix,” Obi-Wan called out, half-heartedly waving around Anakin in the general direction of the door.

“Mind giving us a few minutes?” Anakin added, giving Obi-Wan a sly wink for his eyes only.

“Uhh, t-take all the time you need, Generals,” Kix managed to say before abruptly turning around and walking straight back out of the room. Obi-Wan could have sworn he heard the suffering medic mutter something along the lines of _”Well, I wasn’t going to be the one to suggest you try **that,** General Skywalker”_ as he left.

“Now, where were we?” Obi-Wan asked, beaming up at Anakin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> You can find me at [elysian-prince](https://elysian-prince.tumblr.com) on tumblr.


End file.
